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The assortment of Ball watches has become richer for a new automatic timepiece dedicated to the new brand’s ambassador, Alex Honnold, the fearless rock climber who is the holder of many records in this sport’s discipline. For Honnold, who is depicted on an engraving on the back of the watch, Ball made a timepiece fitted into a titanium casing with black DLC coating. It does not include many additional features since it possesses only a timekeeping function with three hands and a date display. However, its charm is secured with a Swiss made chronometer-certified self-winding movement and a raised resistance when it comes to physical shocks, magnetic fields and water pressure.

Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Black Alex Honnold Watch

Stemming from the Engineer Hydrocarbon collection by Ball, the new timekeeper is likewise characterized by an all-black appearance, disturbed only with white indications and a few yellow accents on its dark face. Its 45 mm wide titanium casing with a patented crown protection is made in this shade due to the black DLC treatment which all in combination enable the watch to be resilient despite its reduced weight. The titanium case which has the height of 13.25 mm likewise includes a ceramic uni-directional rotating bezel and a solid steel case back which is attached with six screws and decorated with a machine-executed engraving that depicts Alex Honnold in one of its rock climbing adventures.

Alex Honnold

Underneath an extremely thick sapphire glass of the Ball newcomer with the reference number DM2176A-P1CAJ-BK there is a black face that has three hands and an oversized date indication shown with the help of a magnifying section on the aperture. Apart from this indication at the standard three o’clock position, there are three more bar shaped hour markers and eight Arabic numerals on the watch’s face. Like all timekeepers, Engineer Hydrocarbon Black Alex Honnold is made with the patented micro tubes filled with 3H gas which enables excellent legibility in the dark, even when there are no external sources of light. Luminous sections are added to all three hands, hour markers, as well as on the minute scale on the bezel.

Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Black Alex Honnold Watch Case Back

Since the watch is dedicated to a person who partakes in a dynamic activity such as rock climbing, it naturally needs to be a bit more resistant. This is achieved with the inclusion of the patented Spring Lock system that protect’s the movement’s balance. As the manufacturer claims, the mechanism, including a special cage around the balance-spring that is used to absorb all the potential shocks and bumps, guarantees 66 percent higher resistance to shocks. It should also be said that the timekeeper from the Engineer Hydrocarbon series can withstand magnetic fields up to 4,800 A/m and that its 300 meters waterproofness is as high as it is the case with diving watches.

Inside the circular casing of the Ball watch there is its driving force – self-winding Ball RR1101-CLS movement whose accuracy is guaranteed with the chronometer certification issued by COSC. The caliber is 25.6 mm wide and 3.6 mm high; it features the operating frequency of 4 Hz and it provides a power reserve that lasts for 42 hours. As it has been said, the movement is far from complicated since its functions only include three hands and a date display. For a comfortable fit on the wrist, Ball paired the new Alex Honnold’s timekeeper with a black rubber strap which locks with a standard buckle.